A Keele medical student has spoken of the "endless” benefits she has gained from a virtual summer internship completed with a local charity.

As part of a university scheme funded by Santander, Anna Mulroy – a third-year undergraduate studying Medicine at Keele – spent several weeks throughout the summer working with Stoke-based charity Number 11.

The charity works with people experiencing different kinds of crises to help rebuild their lives, and continues to work with them when they have reached a point of stability to improve their circumstances, by accessing training opportunities and supporting them into employment.

Throughout her placement Anna worked as a Fundraising and Income Generation intern with the charity, working across all facets of the charity’s fundraising activities. This included organising a fundraiser, and helping with grant applications and improving the online donation experience for donors.

Among her achievements was the organisation of the charity’s “11k Your Way” event, which raised more than £2,500 for the charity’s vital work.

Anna said: “The main focus of my role was to create a virtual fundraiser, both to raise money for Number 11 and increase awareness of the charity. This involved researching and analysing various fundraising strategies and subsequently creating a fundraiser and advertising this effectively. I also began working on a funding bid and researched how to encourage supporters to donate to a cause, allowing Number 11 to start thinking about how to redesign the donation page of their website.

“From my first meeting, it was clear that this opportunity would be mutually beneficial for myself and Number 11, enabling me to gain confidence in project management while raising funds and awareness for the charity. The staff were keen to facilitate my personal development, setting up regular one-to-one calls with multiple members of staff.”

Anna added that the internship had been of huge benefit to her personally and professionally, giving her experience to carry forward in her medical career.

She added: “The benefits from this experience are endless. Given the current climate and increased levels of uncertainty, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to expand my communication skills and knowledge while learning more about the vital role of charities and community organisations.

“Through community placements as a medical student I have gained an awareness of the need for, and importance of, long-term support provided by charities and similar community organisations, but my internship with Number 11 allowed me to witness this first-hand."

Dave Nixon, Centre Manager at Number 11 added: “We are thrilled with how the Internships programme has worked for us. Anna made such a fantastic addition to the Number 11 team - she worked hard proactively and was truly committed to the cause. If we have the opportunity to work with interns like her in the future, they would be most welcome!”

To find out more about our internship schemes including Santander Universities UK programme and our fully-funded charity internships please visit our internships pages. 

For more information about internships and other support opportunities available to businesses, please visit keele.ac.uk/business.